Welcome to Episode 108 where we learn how animals — and not even real ones — can help our brain health. We knit a Wristlet, harvest the bounty of the Washcloth Swap and discover the old-timey traditions of family style eating.
Brainy Thing: 16:15 Behind the Redwood Curtain: 27:41
What We’re Learning from our Knitting
Margaret finished the Laura Nelkin Kairos wristlet https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/kairos-2. She particularly liked the randomness of the bead placement. This was a kit and Laura offers 5 different colorways on her etsy store.
Catherine hasn’t done much knitting but she’s working on a pair of Baby Socks https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/baby-socks-23 and has reaped the rewards of her dishcloth exchange. https://www.ravelry.com/groups/annual-dishcloth-swap: Some of the patterns she received are Blossom (crochet), The Almost Lost Washcloth https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/the-almost-lost-washcloth; in swimming pool colorway, The Sail Away Dishcloth— (joann’s ) and Poppy.
Brainy Thing: Brain Changes in Animal-Human Interactions


Why does it feel so good to pet your animal (or even watch colorful fish?) There’s a whole world of research out there and recent studies show chemical and structural changes in both animal and human brains when they interact. And those changes make both of us feel good.
Book mentioned : How Dogs Love Us: A Neuroscientist and His Adopted Dog Decode the Canine Brain by Gregory Berns Other research links:
Behind the Redwood Curtain: The Samoa Cookhouse

samoa cookhouse winter hours https://www.samoacookhouse.net/menu
Welcome to episode 108 of Teaching Your Brain to Knit, a bit delayed because of power outages and other events. Today, we will explore how the brain changes in animal and human interactions; we’ll talk about a cute little beaded wristlet; report on the Annual Washcloth exchange, and discuss a Northcoast landmark — the Samoa Cookhouse.
Thank you for listening to our podcast. You can subscribe to us on most podcasting platforms including Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Shownotes are on Ravelry and on many podcast platforms, embedded in the show. We’re behind posting on our Webpage but we’ll catch up someday.